Gelsey Kirkland Academy presents "Behind the Veil", an evening of classical ballet excerpts simmering with passion, love and enchantment on Friday, December 14th and Saturday, December 15th at 7:30pm at Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Pace University.

The Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, founded by artistic directors Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov, announced today "Behind the Veil" an evening of classical ballet excerpts performed by the Academy students and its newly launched Studio Company. Excerpts from Le Corsaire, Napoli, Swan Lake and Raymonda will be featured.

"We're very excited to present stagings, some rarely seen in the U.S, of master works from the classical ballet repertoire," said the artistic directors. "The evening was specially designed to showcase our gifted students and talented new Studio Company. It promises a vibrant atmosphere simmering with passion, love and enchantment…. all from behind the Veil of Beauty."

The program includes:

LE CORSAIREComposer: Adolphe AdamChoreography: Marius PetipaStaged by The entire faculty of GKABandits, slave girls, a Pasha's harem and an enchanted garden are all part of this exhilarating ballet featuring the famous Grand Pas and the tempestuous and moving Pas d'Esclave.

Romeo & Juliet – Dance of the Knights from Act 1Composer: Sergei ProkofievChoreography: Leonid LavrovskyStaged by Nikolai Levitsky and Vera SolovievaThis dance from the ballroom scene of Lavrovsky's original version of Romeo and Juliet invokes the Machiavellian atmosphere of Renaissance Verona and truly conveys the atmosphere in which the Montague /Capulet feud is born out.

LE CONSERVATOIREComposer: Holger Simon PaulliChoreography: August BournonvilleStaged by: Karina Elver and Alexandra LawlerThis Romantic ballet by the Danish choreographer Bournonville is set in 19th century Paris and evokes the era Degas captured in his famous paintings of ballerinas backstage.

RAYMONDAComposer: Alexander GlazunovChoreography: Marius PetipaStaged by Nikolai Levitsky and Vera SolovievaHighlights include the Czardas, Entrée, Adagio and Variations culminating in a rousing Hungarian style Coda all from the 3rd act of Raymonda, a masterpiece of classical stylization set in the regal splendor of the Hungarian court in the days of the Crusades.

The Gelsey Kirkland Academy for Classical Ballet, is a not-for-profit ballet academy that offers comprehensive dance and theatre training for gifted students, was established by Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov in 2010. GKA's mission is to encourage a renaissance of dramatic storytelling in ballet by providing specialized training for gifted students and by establishing a classically-oriented studio company capable of creating new dramatic works. For more information visit our website at www.gelseykirklandballet.org.

Tickets can be purchased through OvationTix HERE. Michael Schimmel Center for the Art at Pace University is located at 5 Spruce Street, New York, NY.